Faith

Chapter Thirty

It's been a long, tiring journey to get to where I am now. And even though it has been a few weeks since I went to church for the first time after my mother's death, I still have a long way to go. But it will be worth the wait.

This whole journey was worth the wait. I got rid of the nightmare of a man - if you could call him that - and, in return, I have two strong guys: Sam and the Great Lord above.

But this won't be an immediate happy ending for me. I'm not going to be able to casually hop back into my old spiritual routine. It will take time for my faith to rise to the same level as the past. I have plenty of time, though. Time to fully accept that He didn't take my mother to hurt him, but instead to give me lessons and future blessings.

Faith drives us all. Whether it is faith in the man in the sky or faith in our own abilities, it controls our life and how we act. Luke 1:37 says "Faith: it does not make things easy. It makes things possible." Faith by dictionary definition is "confidence or trust in a person or thing".

My definition of faith? God. Simply God. All true Christians have faith in God, whether it's 100% or 50%. And He also has faith in His children that we can and will follow his word.

And, before I go, I have some last words for you. Don't let the past determine your future. Many instances, even just in this journey, my past experiences almost prevented me from getting to where I am now. If I stayed stubborn and didn't overcome my opinion that He tried to hurt me, I wouldn't be going to church on a weekly basis now.

Stay faithful, and always trust in your God.

I tap on the final key and take in the sound of the final click. I sigh, shortly and sharply. This is it. My manuscript is done. My story is finished, relatively grammatically correct, and ready to send in to my editor. I even double checked each chapter to be certain a bible verse starts each one.

I click on the save button and open my web browser, ready to send my editor, Jane Austen. She is seriously the best, not (only) because she is named after my favorite classic writer. But before I could start the email, I check the time.

"Oh crap," I hiss under my breath. "I need to be on the road." Jake's trial starts in a couple hours, and I need to get to the courthouse early. Today is my day to testify and I have never been more confident. Strange, I know, but I refuse to let him control my emotions any more.

I grab my purse, next to the laptop, and take off from the desk in Sam's living room. "I have to go to court," I shout, hoping he heard me from the kitchen. I almost make it to the door when I hear Sam's reply: "Kaitlyn, you are forgetting something."

I reverse and peek my head through the kitchen entryway. "What is it?" I ask. I look at Sam and his cheeky little grin. He cocks his head to the side, and I sigh, still with a smile on my face.

I step towards Sam and he leans in. With a quick peck on the lips, my heart flutters. I grin and return the kiss.

He grabs my hand, squeezes, and says, "For luck."

With the smile still on my lips, I say back, "Goodbye Sam."

"I'll be there, front row, when the trial starts for support."

The two of us stand there, hand in hand, smiling at each other before I broke the calm silence. "Goodbye." But I don't move and Sam doesn't let go of my hand.

"One more kiss?" He pleads.

I need to leave now, but speed limits are just a suggestion. I leaned in and met Sam's lips in a lingering kiss. I tug my hand out of his grasp and waved. "I'll see you in the courtroom."

Then, before Sam can distract me any longer, I walk down the hall and out his front door. With my car already running (thanks to Sam), I hop in and drove off.

It's time to move forward, stay strong, and use my found-again faith in God.

THE END